This week in West Virginia History

Times West Virginian, Fairmont
·2 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Oct. 22—CHARLESTON — The following events happened on these dates in West Virginia history. To read more, go to The West Virginia Encyclopedia at wvencyclopedia.org.

Oct. 23, 1943: German prisoners arrived at Camp Ashford in White Sulphur Springs. Built by the U.S. War Department, Camp Ashford was one of two camps in W.V.a that housed World War II POWs.

Oct. 24, 1929: Composer George Crumb was born in Charleston. In 1968, Crumb won a Pulitzer Prize for "Echoes of Time and the River: Four Processionals for Orchestra."

Oct. 25, 1918: Athlete Marshall "Biggie" Goldberg was born in Elkins. He led the Chicago Cardinals to the NFL championship in 1947, and was elected to the NFL Hall of Fame in 1958.

Oct. 25, 1951: Writer Denise Giardina was born in Bluefield and raised in neighboring McDowell County. She is best known as a novelist and has a history of community activism, and a run for governor.

Oct. 26, 1801: Jefferson County was established from a portion of Berkeley County by the Virginia General Assembly and named for Thomas Jefferson.

Oct. 26, 1934: Athlete Rodney Clark "Hot Rod" Hundley was born in Charleston. Hundley earned first team All-American recognition his senior year at WVU. He averaged 24.5 points per game and scored 2,180 points over his college career, ranking second in WVU history.

Oct. 27, 1879: Howard B. Lee was born in Wirt County. He was elected state attorney general in 1924, and served for eight years. His term saw the impeachment of a state auditor, the lawlessness of Prohibition, and labor troubles in the coalfields.

Oct. 28, 1972: Brad Paisley was born in Glen Dale. In 2010, Paisley received the Entertainer of the Year award from the Country Music Association.

Oct. 29, 1861: Confederate troops pulled out of Charleston, never to return. At the beginning of the war, Charleston was a Virginia town with much sentiment for the Southern cause.

Oct. 29-30, 2012: After Hurricane Sandy, heavy, wet snow fell across West Virginia. With accumulations approaching 40 inches, it surpassed all previous known October snowstorms.